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indolent, and a Burden to the Publick, but laborious, frugal, and industrious; enriching the Country they live in, by enriching themselves.*

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INDEED, I am well aware, that the Author. I have fo often quoted, is bold enough + to pronounce it to be a moft falfe and infamous Scandal upon the Nation in general, to reproach them for treating Foreigners "with Haughtiness and Contempt. The French Hugonots are many thousand Witnesses to "the contrary: And I wish they deserved the "thoufandth Part of the good Treatment they " have received."

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THIS Author had a great Talent at pronouncing whatever he pleafed for the Advantage of his Party. In the Tract entitled, The publick Spirit of the Whiggs, in Answer to Sir Richard Steele's Crifis, he afferted, "That there

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• Mr Salmon, in his Chronological Hiftorian, Page 297. fays, "With what View they [the Palatines] were "introduced into England, unless to flarve or bully the "Natives, I could never learn." How a poor, naked, defencelefs Handful of People, could BULLY fuch a Kingdom as this, is to me a Myftery.-What they faid of themselves in the printed State of their Cafe is, "That they humbly entreated all Tradefmen, not to repine at the good Difpofition of Her Sacred Majefty, and the "Nobility and Gentry:"-" We also entreat you, fay "they, to lay afide all Reflections, and Imprecations, and "ill Language against us; for that is contradictory to a "Chriftian Spirit."-Thefe are not the Words of Bullies! † Preface to the B- of S- Introduction.

"were not ten Jacobite Clergymen in Eng"land, except Non-jurors." He might have faid, with equal Truth, that all the People in England were blind and deaf, and that he only could fee and hear.

Ás to the French Hugonots, they certainly did receive great Favours and Civilities; but this is no Proof of a national Difpofition.Many of our Nobility and Gentry, and other Men of Senfe, if they are not biaffed by Monopoly-or fuperftitious Fears-or Difaffection, fee thefe Foibles in our Countrymen, and are ashamed of them, and endeavour to retrieve the national Character, by a greater and more generous Benevolence. Befides, the greateft Number of the Refugees came over just at a Time of a violent and dreadful Perfecution, from which they fled; and this Circumstance greatly foftened the ufual Resentment of the English against Foreigners, though it was very far from extinguishing it entirely. Many Complaints were uttered, even at that Time, That thefe Foreigners worked at an Under-price, and took the Bread out of the Mouths of the Natives.

BUT I would willingly know, what this Author meant by faying, "He wished the "French Hugonots had deferved the thousandth "Part of the good Treatment they had receiv"ed." I humbly apprehend, this must im-. ply, either that the Refugees received greater Encouragement

Encouragement in England, than in other Countries, or, that they had behaved unworthy of the Favours conferred upon them,-or were the Friends, and a Support to a Government he wished to fee deftroyed.

If he meant the First, I must beg Leave to declare, in my Turn (and I have fufficient Evidences to juftify what I fay) that this is a great Miftake. The States General, the first and fecond Kings of Pruffia, the King of Denmark, and the Proteftant Princes of the Empire, not only received them with open Arms, naturalized them, fettled Stipends upon their Minifters, and caufed Collections to be made throughout their Dominions for their present Support (which were likewise done in England) but alfo exempted them from certain Taxes and Duties, and from ferving burthenfome and expensive Offices, for a Term of Years. In fome Places, they had the publick Money lent them, at a low Interest, to merchandize, and fet up their Trades with: In others, Lands were given them to cultivate, and Materials provided for the Building of their Houses: And the Artificers were every where incorporated into the Companies of their respective

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• Tho' after Mr Harley came to be Lord Treasurer, the 15,000l. voted by Parliament, and allowed in the Civil Lift, for the Support of the Minifters and Poor among the Refugees, was not paid them. See Mr H. Walpole's Speech in the Parliament.

Vol. V. Page 79.

Debates,

fpective Trades. Moreover it must not be omitted, that the firft. and fecond Kings of Pruffia, ftationed exprefs Agents on the Confines of France, to receive the Refugees, and to conduct them into Brandenburg; paying their travelling Charges through the Empire: Which humane and engaging Method is, as it is faid, lately revived by the prefent politick King of Pruffia. It is therefore not at all furprifing, that the French Refugees, when they fled out of France, chofe rather to fettle in other Proteftant Countries, than in England. For out of 800,000 Perfons, the Number computed by Voltaire and others, to have fled from the Perfecutions and Oppreffions of Lewis XIV. not a twentieth Part came here. at prefent, though we daily hear of Perfecutions in the Southern Provinces of France, which chiefly abound with Proteftant Manufacturers, we fcarce find that a fingle Sufferer hath taken Refuge in England; -at the fame Time that great Numbers are daily retiring into other Countries.

And

IF the Second was this Author's Meaning, I muft here allow him to be in the Right; and confefs the Crimes thofe Hugonots are charged with. It is not, that they robbed, or stole, or cheated, or raised Infurrections, or were taken in a Plot either against Church or State; -But they oppofed the Ministerial Bill of Commerce with France; and gave the first Alarm

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Alarm to the Nation of the mischievous Tendency of it. They beft understood the Manufactures of their own Country, and the Dif ference between the Price of Labour in France and England; and therefore proved to, a Demonftration, That we should be a ruined People, if the French were permitted to import their Manufactures, Wines, and Brandies into England, according to the Tenor of that Treaty. This was the great, the unpardonable Offence. -They ought to have held their Tongues, and not have blabbed out a Truth fo Mal-apropos. I muft likewise add, that Mr Samuel Toriano, another foreign Proteftant, though not a Frenchman, was in Danger of being fent to Prifon, for his free and unwelcome Explanation of these Things at the Bar of the House of Commons.

LASTLY, If it was the Author's Intention to infinuate, that the French Hugonots are to be looked upon as Enemies to the Defigns of that Party among us, who are not Friends to our present happy Establishment; - I muft plead guilty to this Crime alfo. And indeed I will freely acknowledge, that the Naturalization of foreign Proteftants, can never have a favourable Afpect towards a certain Caufe:-Nor is it to be wondered at, that Perfons of that Complection should oppose it with fo much Virulence, and fpread fo many Stories among the Populace, to heighten their inbred Prejudices against it. For they know very

well,

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